Samuel Fuller was a filmmaker who enjoyed exposing the dark underbelly of American society in his works, and it was only natural that many of his works belonged to the crime or gangster genre, such as his 1961 film Underworld U.S.A.
The screenplay for Underworld U.S.A. was inspired by the investigative work of Joseph F. Dienen, a crime reporter for The Boston Globe. Dienen's articles were later compiled into a book published in 1956, which, alongside the notorious Apalachin meeting in 1957—a gathering of mob leaders that revealed the extensive networks of organised crime—captured public attention and sparked widespread interest in the complexities of criminal organisations. This newfound fascination was mirrored in Hollywood, where filmmakers began to exploit the public's curiosity about organised crime, predominantly through biopics chronicling the lives of infamous gangsters from the 1920s and 1930s. However, Fuller’s approach in Underworld U.S.A. diverges from that approach by focusing on a fictionalised revenge plot that exposes the inner workings of a contemporary criminal syndicate.
The plot begins with Tolly Devlin (played by David Kent as a youth and Cliff Robertson as an adult), who witnesses his father being brutally murdered by four gangsters in an alleyway. This traumatic event shapes Tolly's life and fuels his desire for vengeance. He identifies one of the assailants as Vic Farrar (played by Peter Brocco) but chooses not to inform the authorities, opting instead to seek justice on his own terms. Years later, upon learning that Farrar has been sentenced to life imprisonment, Tolly deliberately gets himself incarcerated to confront him. In a tense encounter on Farrar's deathbed, Tolly cunningly extracts information about the other three men involved in his father's murder—individuals who have ascended within a powerful criminal organisation led by Earl Connors (played by Robert Emhardt). One of these men is Gela (played Paul Dubov), who oversees illegal drug operations. Tolly’s quest for revenge leads him to rescue Cuddles (played by Dolores Dorn), a woman targeted for refusing to act as a drug courier, further entangling him in the treacherous world of organised crime.
Underworld U.S.A. can be seen as Fuller's attempt to revive the spirit of 1930s Hollywood gangster films, a genre that had been heavily neutered by the MPAA Production Code. The film is dark and violent, with Fuller pushing the boundaries of censorship by showing gangsters brutally murdering a little girl in broad daylight and having people burned alive. In contrast, there is no sexual content in the film, and Dolores Dorn, former Miss Chicago, plays the protagonist's love interest in a distinctly un-erotic manner.
What sets Underworld U.S.A. apart from typical crime dramas is its anti-hero protagonist. Tolly Devlin does not embody traditional heroic qualities; rather, he starts as a streetwise delinquent whose violent upbringing could easily have led him down a path similar to those he seeks to destroy. His character is marked by ruthlessness and disdain for others—traits that make him morally ambiguous at best. Despite his violent tendencies and lack of education, Tolly possesses an undeniable charm and manipulative skill that allows him to recruit allies in his quest for vengeance. This manipulation extends even to federal authorities—a daring narrative choice that challenges early 1960s Hollywood conventions regarding law enforcement and morality.
Tolly manages to win some of the audience's sympathy, mainly thanks to Cliff Robertson's brilliant performance. Robertson, one of the more underrated Hollywood stars of his age, is well-matched by the strong black-and-white cinematography by Hal Mohr and the music score by Harry Suckman. The murder scene from the beginning is quite impressive and well-matched with the similar scene in the end, while Robertson's performance prevents the finale from looking too melodramatic or old-fashioned.
Underworld U.S.A. is a well-made gangster film that can be recommended even to viewers who aren't hardcore cinephiles or admirers of 1960s Hollywood.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
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